American high school curriculum by Reanna

American high school curriculum by Reanna - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

High school was a time of exploration. For me, it was a time of realizing that I do not have the brain of a chemist, nor will I be able to see geometric figures as clearly as other students were able to. I noticed how much I loved to write essays and that although it wasn’t always interesting, history was important because it has a way of repeating itself. I went into college with confidence because of all of the groups of friends I had in high school, and how to manage my time between Varsity sports and honors classes. Graduating high school, I really thought I was ready for the real world.

My first two years of college were manageable. I lived in the dorms and my parents already paid for my meal plans. I didn’t have my car with me, so making sure to save enough for gas wasn’t an issue either. Once junior year came, however, everything changed. I moved into a house, I brought my car up to school, I invested in a credit card as opposed to mommy’s help with a debit card, I got a job, and my own checkbook. Just as I finally thought I knew how to be an adult, that thought was taken away from me.

If I could add one class to the high school curriculum, it would be about life. No special formulas or how to measure the geometric length of a triangle, but everyday life skills. This class would cover everything from how to balance a checkbook, what it means to have good credit, vocabulary words such as “interest” and “mortgage.” These are all things that I didn’t learn until I was 20, and as such an everyday life assets, I’m curious why we were not taught that.

Looking back, I now understand and appreciate the different classes we were able to take in high school. However, I believe in the learning of everyday skills and I feel that I was not prepared enough for the “real world” the way that I could have been by a “life skills” type of class in high school.

Thank you.